After the astounding success of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and the equally successful "Captain America: Winter Soldier", the narrative of the Marvel lore of super powered beings continues. The film follows the events of both films mentioned earlier: in the pursuit of a previous foe, Captain America and his team inadvertently kill innocents that were in the vicinity. This in turn surfaces a lot of the concerns from governments worldwide, in terms of who is keeping the actions of the Avengers in check. This starts a discussion internally to the team, with one side trying to keep in line with what the United Nations wants, in terms of a supervised action, and another side who wants to keep that judgment internally to the team itself. Capitalizing on this friction, comes an unexpected villain, in the shape of a previous military individual who has is agenda on destroying the team as a personal vendetta against them and their actions. He leverages knowledge of past actions to drive a personal wedge between the iconic team with unexpected results.
As I have mentioned in previous considerations about Marvel's output, the level of sophistication that comes with each of their releases is quite considerable. Their films exhibit a level of professionalism and execution that is impeccable and quite impressive. The amount of talent, both in front and behind the scenes is unparalleled, and easily noticeable in the results (and far more coherent than what Zack Snyder as managed to do so far with his DC Comics versions). This film alone showcases stunning visual effects, editing, score, and even the actors in general feel at ease with their characters, giving them some extra gravitas and depth that can only be achieved when this becomes a long running endeavor. Where these films lose their spark is precisely the core of this well oiled piece of machinery: for all it's central dynamics and themes of redemption and guilt, there's really no heart or point of view to speak of. Is it entertaining? Yes, it has an entertainment value to it, but for all the heroics and noise that you see on screen, you can't help but wonder what is that it's a stake for this super powered individuals who seem to be impervious to everything. Comparing these action films with what James Cameron for instance brought forth with "Aliens" thirty years ago, the difference lies in one thing: Cameron captured the humanity and the bonds that are shaped in extreme circumstances. The Russo brothers capture the virtuosity of special effects and the barely there dynamics of paper thin characters. It's entertaining noise, but it's not enough to make a great film.

Movie Name: War for the Planet of the Apes Year of Release: 2017 Director: Matt Reeves Stars: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Stev...

About Me

Joao Pedro Canhenha is a UX Creative Director and Lead Product Designer (UI/UX/Visual Design) who has started developing projects in the Interactive arena since the year 2001. Since then, he has worked on a wide variety of projects, of different natures and in different conditions. The path has been utterly rewarding and as a result it has been a constant growth experience, one always filled with discovery and enlightenment. Ultimately the goal has always been the same: providing solutions that are rewarding and that meet what the client/project aims for. Something unique, specifically conceived and always functional. The goal is to continue developing projects that reach wider audiences, that bring satisfaction to clients and ultimately find the balance between functionality and technical expertise.